My Jingle Elf

You might remember that Savannah ran her first official run last year at this time.  It was called the Jingle Elf run and was two miles through the town of West Chester.  The streets are lined with thousands of people waiting for the annual Christmas parade to begin.  They enthusiastically cheer on the runners. 

This year Lila Grace decided she was up for the task.  I couldn't believe it.  She was absolutely amazing.  There were only a few six year olds who ran and she came in ahead of all of them.  Her time was 23:00 minutes which puts her at an 11:30 mile.  That is FAST for a Kindergartener.  Who knew preemie lungs could perform so well?  We were a great pair, the littlest looking racer and the pregnant Mama.  There were tons of little kids putting their hands out for high fives and Lila made sure to zig-zag to get everyone of them.  She was overjoyed that the crowd was cheering for HER!

We stayed to watch the parade and Miss Lila fell asleep in my arms.  (Please excuse the bad cell phone pics)

Gingerbread Babies!

I hosted the Kindergarten girls while they decorated their gingerbread babies.  It was a small and sweet bunch of girls.  They did such a nice job.  Adeline was especially creative and turned her cookie into a gingerbread astronaut.  Why would have I thought otherwise?  

Here are my three with their master pieces.

Thanksgiving Day

In order to escape some of our sadness, we headed to DC for a relaxing Thanksgiving vacation.  Just like last year, we started our holiday with a five mile turkey trot.  This year, Savannah joined us!!  She ran the race of her life.  Out of 4,200 runners, she finished 3rd for the 10 and under crowd.  She averaged a 9:25 mile.  Needless to say, passed her pregnant Mama!  This girl can really run!!

Later that day, we devoured a delicious meal with the good company of friends.  Some of us, including Savannah, braved Toys R'us that night just to see what it was all about.  Savannah was thrilled to get her first taste of Black Friday madness.  Personally, I did most of my shopping on my ipad throughout the day.

 

We ended our stay with a drive through a light show and amusement park rides.  We were all pretty tearful as we geared up to drive home to a very empty house.  We really miss our kitty. 

Bob

Sadly, we had to put our beloved kitty down over Thanksgiving break.  He had been with us for 17 long years.  Our hearts were broken and our girls were drowning in sadness.  It was hardest for Savannah.  She had to say good-bye to her cat before she went to school.  This is a cat that has listened to every chapter of many novels read out loud by Savannah.  Bob let Lila hold him and carry him every which way.  He came to us just a month or so after Alex and I met.  We never expected his departure to be this sad.  Having to make the call, deciding when it was time, while forever haunt Alex and me.  He had a good life but we sure wish he never had to get old.  We miss him each day.


Notes written through tears and buried with Bobby. 

 

The last pictures and very sad goodbye. I am so thankful that Savannah is wise and mature beyond her years. She was broken but gracefully so.

 

 Funny Memories!

Because I Love Her

This fall was pretty hectic.  I was extremely sick for the first 16 weeks of this pregnancy.  Laying in bed more than not prevented us from doing many of our typical  fall traditions.  One is the yearly fall photos.  Luckily, on the way to school one day, I had my camera and made Savannah hop out of the car for a quick pic.

I am sure glad I did.  I love this girl!!!!